The dumb bird had an incredibly strong sense of justice. It was probably a matter of upbringing.
But justice came in two kinds: one was called procedural justice, and the other was called justice of outcome.
Li Qiuchen wasn’t quite sure which kind the dumb bird belonged to.
Though normally this thing seemed shameless enough—otherwise, there was no way it could have ended up hanging around with him.
But this time was different.
Tugging a girl’s pigtails and stealing money from your parents were two entirely different matters.
The white crane hesitated for a long while, then gave a soft honk.
Can we win?
“We will!”
Li Qiuchen thumped his chest in guarantee.
“Honk, honk!”
Then let’s do it!
The white crane flapped its wings twice to show its resolve, while also casting a questioning look at Li Qiuchen.
What kind of false intelligence are you going to write? What makes you think your fake information can fool the Mountain God?
“The best lie is the truth.”
As for how to make the truth achieve the effect of a lie, that was a matter of technique.
No sooner said than done.
After dealing with the white crane—not expecting it to have any bright ideas, only hoping it wouldn’t sell out its teammate—Li Qiuchen immediately began burning incense and praying, calling upon the Mountain God.
He called out the Mountain God’s true name three times. Once the incense burned out, Li Qiuchen only felt a daze wash through his mind.
Mist swirled before his eyes. Two young girls in white emerged from the fog, carrying lanterns, and bowed slightly to Li Qiuchen.
It was this convenient?
Li Qiuchen was somewhat stunned.
He had thought the Mountain God would at most transmit her voice from afar or something.
But now you’re telling me that once the incense finishes burning, I get directly teleported across the map?
The Mountain God was terrifying indeed!
It was still the same rugged mountain path where one couldn’t tell east from west or north from south. Under the guidance of the young girls in white, one man and one crane passed through the mist, and before long arrived at the entrance to the cave abode where the Mountain God resided.
Li Qiuchen noticed that the white crane’s posture was a little strange. He swept it a glance from the corner of his eye and discovered both its legs were trembling.
What are you shaking for? It’s not like I’m going to assassinate Qin Shi Huang! Is there any need?
Logically speaking, this thing had adapted so quickly when killing people, and the last time it met the Mountain God it had shown no respect for seniority either. Its mental fortitude shouldn’t be this poor.
Could it be that this was its first time doing something bad, teaming up with him to fool the Mountain God, so it was too excited?
What the hell.
It made things seem like the class belle and class monitor, excellent in both conduct and studies, was being dragged by her delinquent blond deskmate to lie to her own mother—who was also the homeroom teacher—about getting an abortion.
Wake up. That’s not your character setting… your bird setting!
Jiang Tingyue was still seated inside the cave abode, looking no different from the last time they met.
The young girl in white served spirit tea. Li Qiuchen picked up the teacup and drained it in one go, cleared his throat, and began recounting all the intelligence he had gathered below the mountain these past few days.
Xianweng’s Dharma Husk, the Medicine Master believers, Perfected Mohe, the situation in the various villages and towns below the mountain… He reported every piece of information in full detail, without mixing in the slightest bit of his own subjective judgment.
The white crane couldn’t help sneaking a glance at him from the side.
It’s all the truth. How are you planning to trick her?
At the very end, when he mentioned the tragic massacre of Sandaoling, Li Qiuchen added without batting an eye, “Aside from these Medicine Master believers, there was also a second force mixed in, seemingly trying to fish in troubled waters for some other purpose. This junior’s knowledge is shallow, and I cannot quite understand their methods.”
The white crane shrank its neck, thinking, Here it comes.
The previous ninety-nine truths were all to pave the way for this final lie.
A second force.
Jiang Tingyue, who had been sitting steadily without moving and quietly listening to Li Qiuchen’s account, could not help a slight flicker in her pupils when she heard this. She asked, “What makes you say that?”
Where was the evidence?
Debate required an argument. Speech required proof.
Li Qiuchen’s expression did not change. In a deep voice, he said, “Based only on this junior’s understanding of the Medicine Master believers, the Medicine Master lineage worships life and detests death. But that evil cultivator who appeared at Sandaoling, regardless of his purpose, acted in a manner that seemed more like worshiping death. This can be said to run completely counter to the Medicine Master lineage.”
In truth, there were still exceptions.
It was like that difficult question containing both philosophy and biology.
Would you rather eat curry-flavored shit, or shit-flavored curry?
It wasn’t necessarily true that Medicine Master believers would never resort to such extreme methods, but Li Qiuchen’s own subjective judgment also made sense.
If it were only this one matter, it definitely wouldn’t stand on its own.
But with all that detailed intelligence from earlier as groundwork, Jiang Tingyue had already recognized Li Qiuchen’s ability to analyze information, and so she would not continue pressing him.
Compared with a claim like “the mastermind behind the scenes,” which had no evidence whatsoever to support it, a reasonable inference like “a new force has joined in” was far more likely to draw Jiang Tingyue’s attention.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Jiang Tingyue thought for a while, then took out paper and brush and personally wrote a letter. She summoned a young girl in white and instructed, “Deliver this letter to County Commandant Ma Tiancheng of Yunzhong County. This matter is of great importance. Go swiftly and return swiftly. Do not delay.”
The young girl in white accepted the letter, then turned and gave Li Qiuchen a sweet smile before transforming into a streak of light and vanishing before his eyes.
That subtle smile made Li Qiuchen shiver.
What do you mean by that?
Wasn’t it just that last time you helped bathe me and changed my clothes?
You think I’m dirty and smelly again, huh?
Just wait a few more years. Once I grow up, if you still dare help me change clothes, then I’ll admit you’re impressive.
However, his thoughts only went off track for an instant before immediately returning to Jiang Tingyue.
Next was the important part.
The boss was about to hand out wages.
Hopefully she still remembered.
Jiang Tingyue looked at the man and crane. After thinking for a moment, she said softly, “You have done well. I have two bottles of Spirit-Gathering Pills here to aid cultivation. I’ll give them to you. With your cultivation, you can only take one pill within three days; otherwise, your bodies will not be able to withstand it. Apart from this, if you have any requests, you may bring them up as well. As long as it is something I can do right now, I can help you resolve it.”
“Honk, honk!”
“No.”
Li Qiuchen couldn’t help turning to look at the dumb bird. What did you honk?
The boss was only being polite, and you’re really opening your mouth like a lion?
Jiang Tingyue shook her head and said, “I truly do not have a Transformation Pill. Those two rabbits both cultivated into human form by themselves. With your talent and inherited family teachings, as long as you devote yourself to cultivation, I estimate you’ll be able to reach Foundation Establishment and transform within ten years. There is no need to take a Transformation Pill in advance and leave hidden dangers in your body.”
“I do, however, have a Willow-Leaf Flying Sword here. It was a gift from a friend when I was studying years ago. I wonder if you want it?”
“Honk!”
The white crane nodded.
Jiang Tingyue took a willow leaf from her robes.
Li Qiuchen saw it clearly. It really was a willow leaf, only it emitted a faint precious glow.
A true Willow-Leaf Flying Sword.
Although its outward appearance was overly plain, something taken out by her hand was certainly no ordinary object.
Jiang Tingyue glanced at the white crane. Pinching the willow leaf between her fingers, she gave it a light shake. The green of the willow leaf was instantly wiped away, turning into a white feather that transformed into a streak of light and flew into the white crane’s wing.
Hiss… What a sinister magical treasure.
If one didn’t look carefully… No, even if one looked carefully, one still wouldn’t be able to tell at all.
Li Qiuchen secretly warned himself that he absolutely couldn’t casually tussle around with the dumb bird in the future. If that wing came swatting over, he might end up getting sliced into pieces.